Follow Your Dreams

John loved sports. It could not be stated any plainer. Football, basketball, baseball, soccer, lacrosse, rugby, you name it – he loved it. He loved playing, he loved watching, and he loved cheering on his favorite teams. He would go to the stadiums in torrential downpours and near blizzards. He would go on scorching hot days when the stadium seats were nearly melting and ice cream did not stand a chance.At home John would turn on his 80 inch Hi-Def. LED TV and “coach” his team by yelling at them what they should do, or should’ve done, or what they’re doing wrong. It made no difference to him that no one could hear him except his dog.

Second only to his family, John’s life revolved around sports. John had three daughters and one son. John desperately wanted his son Matt to be interested in sports, even to a minor degree, but John could not seem to rouse any interest in his nine-year-old son. Trying to ease him in gently, John would take Matt to the stadiums on the mild-weathered days. He only signed Matt up for one sport at a time, no matter how greatly he wanted to sign him up for multiple.

They tried baseball, basketball, soccer, and more. However, nothing seemed to peak Matt’s interest. He would play willingly to appease his father for a season but after that, he would put away his gear and never look back.

Finally, the summer after his tenth birthday, Matt summoned up the courage and approached his father, explaining to John that he had no interest in sports; he wanted to learn to draw instead. John was devastated. He himself had no interest in art and had no idea how he was going to relate to his son. He wanted so badly for his son to enjoy sports. Any sport.

Nevertheless, John knew that family came first. He enrolled Matt in an art class so he could follow his passion. Matt’s artistic talent was soon very obvious as he began drawing all the members in the family and the likeness of his charcoal renderings were stunning when compared side by side with his intended subjects.

John could not deny his son’s talent for art, but still did not relate to his son.

As the years passed, Matt became a very well-known and highly sought after photographer. He traveled around the world taking pictures and doing photo shoots in the fashion industry. Super models, athletes, actors, this clientele was the norm for Matt.

John of course still loved his sports and continued watching and cheering on his favorite teams. One night as John began settling down in his favorite chair a few minutes before the game was about to begin, he just remembered he was out of his “favorite drinking beverage” and decided to hurry over to the corner store to pick up a six-pack. As he passed by the magazine rack his eyes came across the ESPN “BODY” issue. Being the curious sports aficionado that he is, John decided to peruse and “ahem” read some of the articles. As he began reading he was surprised to find that his son Matt was the photographer for the issue. John had found the sports connection that he had been searching for with his son Matt. Tears welled up in his eyes as he began thinking: “Follow your dreams…Follow your dreams.”